Talk:Edward D'eath/@comment-25940331-20160217063503
Game Three: The Tablet of Night. Eyes closed and inhaling the mingled scents of pitch, oil, and salt water, Edward sits behind a stack of empty rum barrels as a watcher passes. He smiles to himself; surely the "guards" employed by the man he plans to visit are simple deck hands, not used to acting as lookouts. Ghosting into an abandoned warehouse, he thinks back on the day... "The Eyes of a Saint, (said to be enormous jewels) were sold by J'ov to some traders before I had gotten out of bed in the morning. With rumblings building up between the forces of Light and Shadow over that weird tablet, my associate Rovic and I decided to travel once more into the Weft. Seeking out the traders, we were accosted by the forces of Shadow, with a few new friends around. One of their fellows seemed like a very angry man. No matter, as Zorgrim insisted we merely pay back what the Shadow had paid us previously. Foolish orc happily accepted a mere ten geld for safe passage, on the condition we not kill his man returning the way we travelled. Following the trail, and the conditions set by Zorgrim, we travelled towards the Trader's Path, observing on the way a lone warrior of the Shadow moving inexorably towards his camp, holding a chest. Suspicious, but still hopeful, we walked the Trader's Path, followed by some sort of wraith whose attention we had gained. Found nothing, all that walking for no reason! As I said to Rovic, I much prefer waiting for my targets to come to me... After our little foray, we went back to see Janus, on a matter of false coinage. Instead of ending him for the slight, we accepted a contract to protect the same artefact that we sold to him previously. So trusting, Janus. He left his artefact with a band of mercenaries! What did he expect would happen? He left a witch hunter, and a healer to watch over us. Insulting. Unbeknownst to them, Rovic and I convinced the new mercenary to steal the artefact, and to take it to J'ov. A token pursuit ensued of course, we had to make it look good. Having "failed" our contract with Janus, and taking payment elsewhere, we approached the Shadow camp to sell information...The assassin with a red mask kept trying to sneak behind us, had to keep a close eye on that one. (Assassin, ha! These new folk in the Weft don't have a fraction of the training I received in the Guild in Thadiea. After that, posing as a battle commander in the Legion was easy. It simply took a pompous attitude and a loud enough voice to yell "CHARGE" at the the right moment.) Attending to a previous contract, I followed J'ov and his bodyguards towards the Camp of the Light, as Rovic attended to his own business. Taking an opportunity, I told Janus I had bought Captain Thifgrim to him to "answer for his crimes." Of course, the large amount of new mercenaries surrounding J'ov didn't leave him much to answer for, so contract complete. I was also promised one of the "eyes" for my services. Rejoining Rovic, we wandered towards the Camp of Shadow and liberated certain properties from them, namely a chest we thought contained the eyes the Light wanted so badly for their ritual. However, when Audrey opened the chest, it was empty. Upon returning to the Camp of Shadow, I was surprised by a huge ball of fire heading straight for me! Even more surprising, the attack came from that half-elf, Hrafn. Not exactly the nice, quiet healer...Of course, a couple of arrows to the legs soon persuaded him to stop moving, and we ended up taking him back to Andariel and Audrey, who paid us a small amount of geld for his safe return. At the last, when the final item required to perform some sort of ritual lead by J'ov was claimed from the Shadow, the forces of the Light all gathered on the hill to perform their magic. After being approached by Lady Gideon, I was offered money to disrupt what they were doing up there. Regrettably, a whispered offer from Captain Thifgrim convinced me that the best option was to stab the lady in the back, and run like demons were after me. (They were). Despite the temptation to knife J'ov as well, for more money, I allowed him to complete their arcane ritual and destroy that useless, worthless piece of rock they've all been chasing all this time. That drunken dwarf, Dillia Baleyfar destroyed it with her hammer. All of that work, and it crumbles from a simple hammer blow...I could have done that. Profits today were high, though I suspect Rovic is doing jobs without me. *Tsk tsk,* I'd be upset if I wouldn't do the same in his position... " Darting out from cover, he climbs the side of the ship and slips in through a cabin window, where he finds Captain Thifgrim, sitting alone by the light of a single lamp. Scooping up a bottle, he walks silently over and falls into a spare chair "Good evening Captain, fancy a drink?" Thifgrim's hand rose from under the table, the pistol in it cocked and ready to fire:"As it's my booze, of course! You pour, and talk, quickly. Less you want a third eye betwix the two you already have, Assassin? " Edward looks down. Following his gaze, Thifgrim sees the blade pointing at him under the table. "Now now, I don't think there's any need for violence, is there? I simply came to discuss a..being I heard of during my time in the Krakiid Isles" "Aye, lots of strange beings spoke of in the Krakiid isles, Mate... some even exist. Narrow it down for me, and right quick. You haven't done much to dissuade me from venting your head..." Edward nods towards Thifgrims' pendant. "A being who enjoys money, who promotes using one's skills in order to buy into the afterlife...a Kraken?" "And on the point of putting a new hole in my head, I think we're both worth more to each other alive" "Ah the grabby tentacles of THE Kraken...Biggest of it's kind.... Most FEARED of it's kind. And worth means nothing when coming from a man who stole into MY cabin... If word of the Kraken is what you seek, then lower your blade, and we'll drink, and talk..." "as long as that gun hits the table at the same time." You forget yourself Edward, it's MY cabin, MY ship, and MY rules. But out of professional respect, I'll lower it, once your sword is clear. Lowering his blade and picking up a bottle, Edward replies"Do you have a reason not to trust me?" We've worked together before, to the benefit of both our purses, and as for stealing in here, you made it far too easy. Window open, inexperienced guards, and only one lantern? I thought it was a written invitation!" "Very true, my friend. Consider me a little...touchy on the subject of unexpected visitors. And yes, it was an invitation, but not one for you. I was hoping to... Thifgrim nods down at the pistol resting on the table "'meet' an old friend...." "My services are of course available, for the right price, but enough of that. I want to know more about the Kraken, to start with. Didn't really want to talk to those priests on the Isle, they reeked of fish. And don't get me started on the tentacles hanging off their robes. Were those real?" "Aye lad, they were. The High priests even start growing their own, in place of hands, legs...or OTHER places... Thifgrim shudders and takes a drink. "That said, what would you like to know?" "I was told that you could buy your way into a celestial realm. A strange wraith told me to make my peace with the Gods, or bad things would happen. With recent events being as they are, I'd really prefer to not have my soul rent for eternity in Ruin." Edward gratefully accepts the bottle and drinks. "Aye lad, it's true. The Kraken only wants two things of you... that you USE your skills to their fullest, and in accordance to YOUR desires, and to make as MUCH coin as possible. Acting against ones' nature renders any gains of coin invalid in the Kraken's eyes, and the coin you make is weighed against your resources. A begger who makes 10 geld from none will rule over a noble who turns 100 geld into 110..... "I'm intrigued, what does the Kraken think about death for hire? I'll have nothing to do with a God that would cause me to give up a hard earned trade. Also, does it like liars? One of my favourite pastimes after all" Smiling, Thifgrim replies: "The only sin in the Krakens eyes is to act aganst ones' TRUE nature. If you are a sheep, do not pretend to be the lion. But if you ARE a lion, hunt well.... "Ah, so I can't, for example, pretend to be a sheep to kill the shepherd? You of all people know the value of disguise my friend" "Ah that is acting ACCORDING to your nature is it not? No, lad, I mean bending the knee to some other god, or king, who tells you you CAN'T kill, CAN'T rob, Can't steal, unless THEY say so, and then THEY take the reward! "Even better, I'm not sure that even being in the Weft is far enough for the...people who may or may not be after me. In any case, I won't be kneeling to anyone, not the Kraken, no king...no captain." "Oh lad, you don't need to kneel to me. It's simple. As captain, I simply make the final judgement as to what we do. My crew talk it over, and we decide as a group. Only in combat do I assume total control. Disobeying an order IN COMBAT... is not wise. Apart from then, I am only a figurehead. A tie breaker, if you will. " "I'm a fairly experienced battle commander myself Captain, used to lead my own company. The Kraken aside, I work my own way, to my own contracts. With that being said, I like the way you do business...As long as I don't grow tentacles myself, the Kraken sounds like the deity for me" "Well, we are always looking for experienced commanders lad. Of course, you are free to pursue as many contracts as you wish, lead as many crew members as you can; in fact, I encourage it... as long as we are working towards the same ends... not...NECESSARILY....the same side, but towards the same goals. And we never DIRECTLY interfere with each others plans... "I believe stabbing each other in the back may be a faux pas in this case as well" Thifgrim leans back with an unpleasant smile."well... unless there is MUCH profit in it..." "I'll drink to that" Thifgrim raises his bottle, then drinks heartily "But how about this: If enough money is offered, we let the other know so they have the chance to match it. I'm sure you'll agree that's a fair way to prevent...mishaps" "But of course!" Thifgrim slides a scroll along the table to Edward "In fact, thats rule 13b of the Charter of the Brotherhood of the Kraken." "I'm liking this more and more, but why are there only two rules on it? I mean, shouldn't there be other ones? One, two, that sort of thing?" "There are, mate. most of them only apply when seabourne. As you don't seem the pira...er, sailing type, they don't apply. " "Never needed to be, I'll leave nautical contracts to you I think. Now, to seal my new allegiance to the kraken, I believe I can...acquire some krakiid pistols for you, if that piques your interest?" "Oh, lad, it does... I quite enjoy the advantage the firepower gives me... And while on the topic of interests... I have a new shipment coming in, of a particular cargo that MIGHT pique YOURS... Let's discuss how it may benefit both of us?"